Democratic Committee holds vigil in honor of Minnesota shooting victims
BUTLER TWP — Dozens of people braved the bitter cold to attend a vigil outside Aldi at Butler Commons onSunday Feb. 1 in memory of Alex Pretti.
Pretti was killed in a confrontation with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers in Minneapolis on Jan. 24.
His death — along with that of Renee Good, who was shot during a confrontation with ICE in Minneapolis on Jan. 7 — has sparked nationwide pushback over heavy federal immigration presence in U.S. cities.
The event was organized by the Butler County Democratic Committee.
Volunteer and organizer Debbie Barger stressed the event was a “vigil” and not a protest.
“We don’t say ‘protest” because protests clash with police,” Barger said. “We demonstrate. We want people to know, with our signs, what is happening and what is going to happen.”
During the vigil, Barger made clear her stance on what she saw in the footage of the shootings of Pretti and Good, both of which have been widely circulated.
“If you watch the film, they were murdered,” Barger said. “They were unjustly killed. That has kept me awake. It is very disturbing to me.”
Many of those who showed up aren’t new to standing up for progressive causes. One of them, Ed Koch, had experience in marching at anti-Iraq War demonstrations two decades ago while he attended college.
“It’s unfortunate that we have to have these again with the government invading cities now,” Koch said. “I’ve always been active, but I think it was important today to come out and show our children what a community committed to peace looks like.”
Those assembled took turns speaking out against the violence occurring in Minnesota and urging the public to do so. Occasionally, the group broke into songs, such as “This Land is Your Land” and “God Bless America.”
The Rev. Leigh Benish, pastor at Hill United Presbyterian Church in Butler, offered a multifaith prayer for hope and compassion.
“I'm here as an American citizen and I'm here as a Christian and I'm here as a pastor who is disgusted with Christian nationalism and the way things are going and how we are treating one another,” Benish said.
Barger, said the organizers did prepare for the possibility of retaliatory action of some kind from counter-protesters.
“Typically, when there are counter-protesters, they don’t turn violent,” Koch said. “People that are showing up for events like this are typically committed to nonviolence themselves, so a lot of people here would know de-escalation techniques as well.”
Despite taking place in the parking lot of a populated shopping center, the vigil went off without incident.
However, during the vigil ,, Barger stated the organizers have run into issues at past demonstrations they held over the course of 2025.
“It could be screaming. It could be people turning a corner too wide or doing a ‘coal roll,’ where they just blow by and blast you with a big cloud of black smoke,” Barger said. “We had a guy charged down in Adams Township for doing that.”
For this reason, Barger said organizers have stopped publicizing demonstrations ahead of time and have restricted advance announcements to an “invite list.”
“Sadly, we had to go underground,” Barger said.
Barger said organizers plan to hold another demonstration March 28, which has been designated as another national “No Kings” protest day. However, the location of the event has yet to be announced.
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An attendee holds a candle in memory of Alex Pretti during a candlelight vigil in the Aldi parking lot on New Castle Road on Sunday, Feb. 1, 2026. Rob McGraw/Butler Eagle
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An attendee holds a candle in memory of Alex Pretti during a candlelight vigil in the Aldi parking lot on New Castle Road on Sunday, Feb. 1, 2026. Rob McGraw/Butler Eagle
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An attendee holds a candle in memory of Alex Pretti during a candlelight vigil in the Aldi parking lot on New Castle Road on Sunday, Feb. 1, 2026. Rob McGraw/Butler Eagle
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An attendee holds a peace sign during a candlelight vigil in the Aldi parking lot on New Castle Road on Sunday, Feb. 1, 2026. Rob McGraw/Butler Eagle
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A military sign during a candlelight vigil in the Aldi parking lot on New Castle Road on Sunday, Feb. 1, 2026. Rob McGraw/Butler Eagle
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An attendee holds a candle in memory of Alex Pretti during a candlelight vigil in the Aldi parking lot on New Castle Road on Sunday, Feb. 1, 2026. Rob McGraw/Butler Eagle
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An attendee holds up a lamp during a candlelight vigil in the Aldi parking lot on New Castle Road on Sunday, Feb. 1, 2026. Rob McGraw/Butler Eagle
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An attendee reads lyrics from a piece of paper as she sings during a candlelight vigil in the Aldi parking lot on New Castle Road on Sunday, Feb. 1, 2026. Rob McGraw/Butler Eagle
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Lyrics for “If I had a Hammer” were read by attendees as they sang during a candlelight vigil in the Aldi parking lot on New Castle Road on Sunday, Feb. 1, 2026. Rob McGraw/Butler Eagle
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Lyrics for “If I had a Hammer” were read by attendees as they sang during a candlelight vigil in the Aldi parking lot on New Castle Road on Sunday, Feb. 1, 2026. Rob McGraw/Butler Eagle
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Attendees sang and held up candles and other forms of light during a candlelight vigil in the Aldi parking lot on New Castle Road on Sunday, Feb. 1, 2026. Rob McGraw/Butler Eagle
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Attendees sang and held up candles and other forms of light during a candlelight vigil in the Aldi parking lot on New Castle Road on Sunday, Feb. 1, 2026. Rob McGraw/Butler Eagle
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A memorial for Alex Pretti was lit up by candlelight during a candlelight vigil in the Aldi parking lot on New Castle Road on Sunday, Feb. 1, 2026. Rob McGraw/Butler Eagle
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Attendees light each other’s candles during a candlelight vigil in the Aldi parking lot on New Castle Road on Sunday, Feb. 1, 2026. Rob McGraw/Butler Eagle
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Attendees light candles from the Alex Pretti memorial during a candlelight vigil in the Aldi parking lot on New Castle Road on Sunday, Feb. 1, 2026. Rob McGraw/Butler Eagle
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Attendees light candles from the Alex Pretti memorial during a candlelight vigil in the Aldi parking lot on New Castle Road on Sunday, Feb. 1, 2026. Rob McGraw/Butler Eagle
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Attendees sang and held up candles and other forms of light during a candlelight vigil in the Aldi parking lot on New Castle Road on Sunday, Feb. 1, 2026. Rob McGraw/Butler Eagle
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Attendees hold candles in memory of Alex Pretti during a candlelight vigil in the Aldi parking lot on New Castle Road on Sunday, Feb. 1, 2026. Rob McGraw/Butler Eagle
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Attendees sang and held up candles and other forms of light during a candlelight vigil in the Aldi parking lot on New Castle Road on Sunday, Feb. 1, 2026. Rob McGraw/Butler Eagle
